The present invention relates to a compressor for air conditioning systems, and more particularly to seals for use in such a compressor.
Swash-plate type compressors are widely used in air conditioning systems for compressing refrigerant which is recirculated within the systems. The type compressor generally comprises a cylinder block formed therein with a plurality of axial cylinder bores within which are slidably received pistons, a pair of cylinder heads secured to opposite ends of the cylinder block with a pair of valve plates intervening therebetween, a drive shaft extending through the cylinder block and one of the cylinder heads along their axes, and a swash plate housed within a swash plate chamber formed within the cylinder block and secured on the drive shaft while engaging at its peripheral fringe with the pistons.
Interposed between the cylinder block and each cylinder head are a gasket, a suction valve, a gasket, a valve plate and another gasket which are arranged in the order mentioned above.
However, the compressor has a drawback that the use of not a few parts as mentioned above which are used between the cylinder block and each cylinder head invites a high production cost as well as an insufficient fluidtightness between the cylinder block and each cylinder head.
To eliminate the above drawback, an O ring is conventionally used between the cylinder block and the cylinder head in place of gaskets or together with the gaskets. Although the use of an O ring can improve the fluidtightness between the above two members, it requires the work of forming a groove in one of these members for receiving the O ring. Moreover, not a few parts are still used between the cylinder block and the cylinder head.